Health care for all voted primary concern at local caucus

The answer at a public forum in Central Washington was the same as in Seattle and Tacoma: People's highest health care priority is making sure everyone is covered.

That has been the No. 1 priority at every meeting the Healthy Washington Coalition has hosted so far on its seven-city, three month tour of the state. The tour, designed to gather input that could help determine how the state legislature will reform health care, stopped at Holy Family Church in Yakima on Tuesday.

The ultimate goal of the meetings, authorized by the 2008 Legislature, is to let lawmakers know how people statewide feel about five different health care options.

The plans, which run the political gamut from one that seeks to lower insurance costs by loosening restrictions on insurers to one that would cover everyone and be administered by the state, were discussed only briefly, however. Instead, attendees were asked simply what they most want from a list of 12 "values" such as, "Allow individuals to choose their providers," and, "Share the costs fairly between individuals, employers and the government."

Of the 100 or so people who attended the lone Central Washington meeting on the tour, more than half listed, "Cover everybody," among their top priorities in a poll. The vote followed about an hour and a half of impassioned pleas from health care advocates and from regular folk, some of whom shared stories of how the existing health care system has failed them.

Shirley Giarde, 54, a small-business owner from Walla Walla broke down in tears as she described the plight of her husband, Ray. Having never had to use her health insurance policy before last year, Giarde was shocked to find that it wouldn't cover everything her husband needed after he suffered a virus-triggered cardiac arrest.

She had to pay out of pocket for a portable defibrillator in mid-2007 and now, thousands of dollars of debt later, she's worried her insurer still won't help.

"At age 56 (Ray) may need a heart transplant for which the insurance may not pay," Giarde said through her tears.

She is not alone. According to a presentation from Anita Monoian, president and CEO of Yakima Neighborhood Health Services, 19,000 Washington residents file for bankruptcy each year because of medical costs. And, like Giarde, three-quarters of them are insured.

"Lack of quality, affordable health care is threatening the financial security of Washington families," Monoian said.

The other problem -- Washington residents who are not insured at all -- taxes the system further, because people put off seeing doctors until their problems worsen and they end up in emergency rooms, she said.

"Let's face it," Monoian said. "A system that covered everyone would eliminate that problem."

That sort of talk sounded one-sided to Jeff Johnston, a Yakima health insurance salesman in a room stacked with health and labor advocates. Johnston sounded the one cautionary note of the evening, reminding the crowd that if they want increased access to quality health care, they'll have to pay for it one way or another.

"Every one of these (suggestions) has money behind it," he said.

He also criticized the hosts of the forum for asking people what they wanted without really discussing the complexity of potential solutions.

That was kind of the idea of this meeting, though, according to Robby Stern, chairman of the Healthy Washington Coalition. The current tour is strictly about determining the priorities of statewide communities. After actuarial reports are completed later this year on the five potential health-care plans the Legislature is studying, the coalition will host another round of meetings to discuss those in more depth, he said.

* Pat Muir can be reached at 577-7693 or pmuir@yakimaherald.com.

• Classified Marketplace
  View All | Search | Place Ad
• 
• • Announcements
  • Public Notices
  • Legal Notices
  • Merchandise
  • Yard Sales
  • Animals
• Jobs
  www.yakjobs.com
• Homes
  www.yakhomes.com
• 
• 
  
• Autos
  www.yakwheels.com

• All Special Pubs Channels YakJobs.com YakWheels.com YakHomes.com Yakima Magazine (Web) Yakima Magazine (Print) Playdate (Web) Playdate (Print) The Beginning (Web) The Beginning (Print) Yakima Bride Yakima Wheels (Print) Home Buyer's Guide Graduates 2010 Summer in the Valley
• Advertisement